Spike puller



March 4 1924.

A. M C LAI N SPIKE FULLER Filed March 10 1923 FIG.1

FIG. 3

y M INVENTOR a; hm/13M MM@ MMV Patented Mar. 4, v192.4.

UNITED STATES A ANDREW MCLAIN, QF CARNEGIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPIKE FULLER.

Application ledlharch 10, 1928. Serial No. 624,165.Y y l To all whom 't may concern.'

`Be it known that I, ANDREW MOLAIN, a citizen of the United States and resident of Carnegie, in the countyy of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement `in Spike Pullers; and l Ido hereby-declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

lVIy invention relates to spike pullers, and is specially designed for heavyservice such as the pulling of railway spikes from ties.

The object of my invention is to provide anA improved spike pullerwhich shall be simple in construction, convenient in operation and capable of, exerting a powerful lifting force which operates to draw the spike in a vertical direction from the tie. Another object of my invention is to provide a spike puller of the character indicated which shall be able to engage the head of thespike or nail in cases where there is but little clearance between the head and the tie or other object in which the spike is embedded.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is aside elevational view of the lower end of a spike puller constructed in accordance with my invention, the spike puller being shown in the courseof being applied to a railway spike; F ig. 2 is a similar view, with parts in section, showing in full lines the position of the spike pullerY when it is in proper position to begin raising the spike, and showing in dotted lines another position of the spike puller while it is raising the spike; and Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of the same spike puller in the full-line position of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, the numeral 2 indicates the shank of a claw bar having a bifurcated claw 3 formed at its lower end and also having a circularly curved enlargement L1 back of the claw, the curved surface 5 of this enlargement being circular around a central point 6.

The circularly curved surface 5 merges into a flat under surface 7, which connects the curved surface 5 with the pointed end of the claw. At the point 6 and opening is formed from side to side through the bar and receives a bolt 8. This bolt supports two links 9 which are provided with slots 10 surrounding the bolt 8, as best shown on Fig. 2. The lower ends of the links 9 are connected pivotally to a wedge-shape fulcrum member 11 provided with serrations onv its under surface, as shown at.l2. lThe i connection between the. links 9 and theful cruni member Q11 is Wmade by fmealisof screwl'bolts 13 which 'extend through openingsnearthe lower 'ends of the links 9 and into corresponding vtapped openingsy inthe i sides of thejfulcrum member 11.

As shown on the drawing, the spike puller is providedwth-an adjustablegrab hook, the construction of which is described'and claimed in Letters Patent No.. 1,326,758', granted to meDecernber 30,. 1919. VThis grab hook,'a's show-n, comprises 'a fork hav'- ing two'armsl provided near their ends with openings to receive the bolt 8 and connected to alv straight 'arm 16 whichcarries a sliding member 17. The member 17 mayv be secured in any'desiredi position on the arm y16 by means of a'wedge member 18 which extends through the saine opening in the `member 17 which admits the arm 16. This grab hook construction forms no part of my present `invention, and the grab hook may be entirely omitted if desiredf It will be noted particularly-that the claw 3 is connected to the curved working surface 5 of the claw Vbar v by means of the straight surface-7, and that the claw 3 is not curved upwailly, as is usual in claw bars of this kind. This construction enables the claw tobe thrust beneath the'head 'of the spike', and enables the fulcrum member to be properly adjusted without rocking the bar forward much beyond its vertical position, even though the head of the spike may be driven nearly flush with the upper surface of the tie.

It will also be noted particularly that the upper surface of the wedge-shaped fulcrum member 11 is straight, thus enabling the curved surface 5 to roll without sliding friction upon the upper surface of the fulcrum member when the bar is rocked in the operation of pulling a spike. It will be noted further that the slotted connection be tween the links 9 and the pivoted bolt 8 cause the fulcrum member to act independently of the pivot bolt while a spike is be.- ing pulled. Therefore, the load is supported wholly by the fulcrum member and not by the pivot bolt, which is an advantage because the pressure developed in a spike puller of this kind is so great that the pivot bolt might be sheared ofi' if the load were supported on that bolt. F

Fig. 1 shows the manner in which the spike puller is first broughtl into engage ment with a spike A, which is-shown em bedded' in a tie B adjacent to a rail C. The claw 3 is first placed astride of the spike, asY shown inrFgrl, the'grab hook ifused being raised so as to pass over the top of the rail C. The handle of the claw' bar isY then rocked forward into the position shown in full lines on Fig. 2. The barrocks on the point of its cla-w V3, and the fulcrum vmembefr;ll'fallsfby its own weight into the position Yshown in F ig.V 2', wherek its flat' upper surface" restsjagainst the flat under surface ll'fof the' claw bar; Atfth'e same time the grab` hook, if used, fallsl beyond vthe rail intoy the position Shown Ain Fig'. 2.

The claw`bar'2 is' then rocked away from theftie. This' immediately causes the circularly curved surface 5 of the clawbar to roll upon the fiat upper surface of the fulcrum; member l1, and the claw 3 raises the 'spike A in a vertical direction.4 Fig. 2 sho'wsin dotted lines the position of the parts during this drawing operation.

While the construction Vshown and described herein has been found to be effective,

in actual VKuse, it will be understood that various vchanges inthe construction and arrangement ofl parts may bemade without departingy from my invention, the scope of whichjis` indicated in the appended claims.

Ifclaim' as my invention l. A 'spikepuller'comprising a claw bar having a claw and acurved working surface behind said claw, and a forwardly tapered fulcrum member pivotally secured to said bar and having arflat upper surface arranged4 to' cooperate with the said curved working surface of said claw bar.

2. A spike puller comprisin a claw bar having a claw, a curved wor ing surface 1 ,lessees behind said claw and connected'with said` claw by a straight under surface7 a fulcrum member having a -iiat upper surface adapted to cooperate with said curved working surface, links pivotally connected to said fulcrum member, and slotted connections betweensaid links and said claw bar. v

3. A spike puller comprising a claw bar having a claw, a curved working surface behind said claw and connected With ysaid. claw by a straight under surface, a wedgeshaped fulcrum member having a flat upper surface adapted to cooperate with lsaid curvedfworking surface, a pivot member eX- tendingj through an 'opening in said claw har, and v links pivotally connectedv torrsaid fulcrum 'membeig said Vlinksy having. slots through `which saidk pivot member extends. '4.' A spike'puller. comprising a claw bar having a claw, al straight underv surface adjacent to said claw, a projection in the rear of said straight under surface,V the said projectionhaving' a working surface that is circiilarly curved about a point" within saidclaw bar, a pivot memberextending 'through an opening substantially at the said center of'curvature, links having longitudinal. slots through which said pivot member extends', a wedgesshaped fulcrumV member suspended pivotally fromthe vouter ends of said links, the said fulcrum member having flat upper surface adapted to engage the flat under Asurface of said claw barwhen the said claw is appliedto a spike, and beinfr also adapted to cooperate with Vsaid curve working surface to causesaid clawyto lift the spike, and serrations formed on the un der surface of said fulcrum member.

In testimony whereof Ithe said ANDREW MCLAIN have hereunto set my hand. er f ANDREW MCLAIN. V1 

